Tokyo Drift Arc (13)

As Christmas approached, the shops in the mall began their preparations.

Some hung colorful lights, others put up Christmas-themed stickers, and some placed elaborately made Christmas trees in front of their doors, adorned with small gifts.

But in the next moment, the well-placed Christmas tree suddenly began to sway, and the small gifts detached from the branches, flying forward.

A beige van sped past the mall's escalator. Zhang Heng activated the windshield wipers, sweeping away two greeting cards stuck to the car window. The L300's tail swung past a counter filled with expensive skincare products, and the airflow caused a bottle of serum to teeter precariously.

The driver of the Toyota Voxy was cunning. He kept turning at intersections, making a wide loop, intending to sneak back onto the original road. But in the next moment, the glass of the mall entrance on his right suddenly shattered without warning.

A beige van adorned with Christmas decorations burst out from inside.

What the heck?! Is Santa coming this early this year, and trading in his reindeer for a car?

The Voxy driver was greatly alarmed. He had been watching his rearview mirror and hadn't seen any pursuers. He had no idea where this guy came from, and his entrance was way too dramatic.

The distance between the two cars quickly closed to about six or seven meters. The Voxy driver's scalp tingled, and he had no choice but to floor the accelerator, trying to shake off the tail behind him with speed.

But then, something that made him rub his eyes in disbelief happened. The Voxy, with its performance, was actually losing to the seemingly dilapidated L300 in acceleration.

Both cars floored it, but the L300 only got closer. Zhang Heng used the L300's front bumper to nudge the Voxy's rear left side. The Toyota began to slide uncontrollably under the force. The driver broke out in a cold sweat, gripping the steering wheel tightly, but no matter how much he accelerated, he couldn't break free.

Seeing that it was about to flip, the Voxy had to slow down. As if by agreement, the L300 behind it also slowed down. Zhang Heng could have easily flipped the Voxy, but he was concerned about Ameko inside and didn't push too hard. In the end, both cars pulled over to the side of the road.

The driver of the Voxy knew very well that with his skills and the car's performance, he couldn't possibly shake off the L300. So, he opened the car door and pushed the unconscious Ameko to the roadside. Zhang Heng watched as the dark blue Toyota disappeared into the night and released his bow and arrow.

He didn't pursue them further. Firstly, he couldn't just leave Ameko by the roadside. Secondly, those people had guns. Although they seemed to be holding back and hadn't fired yet, he didn't know what they might do if they were pushed too far.

Thus, this encounter ended with both sides taking a step back.

In a way, the appearance of these people actually relieved Zhang Heng. When he saw the fire at the seafood store, his first reaction was similar to Ameko's – he thought Takeda Tetsuya had been killed and the other party was destroying the evidence. But the appearance of the Voxy indirectly proved that the owner of the seafood store was still alive.

Otherwise, they wouldn't need to lure Ameko here to kidnap her. The girl's life was very ordinary, no different from most Japanese students. For these people to target her clearly meant they intended to use her to threaten Takeda Tetsuya.

But speaking of which, who exactly were the people in that Voxy? They were involved in arson and carried firearms. In Japan, a country with extremely strict gun control, anyone who could obtain a handgun must have a considerable background.

Zhang Heng had shot the tattooed man in the leg earlier because he had considered keeping him for questioning. Unfortunately, he hadn't expected them to have accomplices for backup. Fortunately, Ameko wasn't lost after all.

Zhang Heng carried the girl to the car and gave her a simple check. He found that apart from minor scrapes on her elbow and calf, she hadn't sustained any other injuries, which relieved him.

At this moment, he also heard the distant siren of a fire truck. To be fair, the firefighters had arrived quite quickly. Although everything that had happened was perilous, only a few minutes had passed since he made the call.

Zhang Heng took off his outer jacket and covered the girl with it. Ameko had invited him to her rented apartment for hot pot a few times, so he knew where she lived. However, sending her back right now wasn't a good idea. She had clearly gotten involved in something, and since the other party could lure her out once, they could certainly lure her out a second time.

The priority now was to figure out what had happened before formulating the next course of action.

Although the people in the Voxy had escaped, Zhang Heng knew there was one person who could definitely give him the answer.

Everything that had happened tonight was clearly related to Takeda Tetsuya, or rather, Tsuchiya Yosuke. It was time to hear this guy's story.

However, before that, he had to find the main person involved.

This wasn't difficult for Zhang Heng. He drove around, visiting the izakaya, host clubs, and karaoke bars that the seafood store owner frequented the most. In the end, he found his target at an abandoned pier where he used to practice driving.

By this time, the sky was beginning to lighten. The seafood store owner, wearing a wide-brimmed hat to obscure his face, was blending in with a group of elderly fishing enthusiasts, holding a fishing rod.

He knew who was coming as soon as he heard the sound of tires frictioning against the ground. However, when he stood up and saw Ameko sitting in the passenger seat, he froze in place.

"Why is she here?"

"You should be the one asking that question," Zhang Heng said, jumping out of the car. "I found her in front of your seafood store. Some guys were trying to kidnap her, but don't worry, she just passed out. She's fine."

"Someone kidnapped her? What did those guys look like?" Takeda Tetsuya's expression became unusually tense.

"There were about three of them. They were wrapped up pretty tightly, wearing sunglasses and masks. But for some reason, they didn't cover the tattoos on their necks."

"What did the tattoos look like?" Takeda Tetsuya didn't care about other details, only paying close attention to this question.

Zhang Heng thought for a moment. "It was too far away, so I couldn't be completely sure. They looked like an eye."

Takeda Tetsuya's pupils contracted sharply upon hearing this. Then, as if all his strength had drained away, he slumped to the ground, muttering, "They've come after all, haven't they?"

"Come for what?"

"It has nothing to do with you. They only want my life," the seafood store owner said with a bitter smile. "I thought by hiding my identity and keeping a low profile all these years, I could avoid them, but I didn't expect them to let me go. But it's okay, as long as I go to them obediently now, you won't be in danger anymore."

Contrary to what Zhang Heng had imagined, the seafood store owner didn't seem interested in discussing his past.

As Zhang Heng was contemplating how to get the man to open up, a voice called out from behind him, "So, is this why you divorced Mom back then?"

Ameko had woken up from the car seat at some point. She had clearly heard what Takeda Tetsuya had just said.

Sorry, just got to the station, so only one chapter today (?ω?) Happy National Day everyone!